Woman claims drone harassed her at Virginia Beach

UPDATE: The Reddit post describing the incident in this article has since been removed. The thread is now topped with a comment questioning the account and suggesting that people who see a drone doing something that doesn’t seem right, “pull your phone out and hit record so that you can provide it, along with your complaint, to the relevant authorities.”

A sunbather on Virginia Beach claims she was sexually harassed by a drone, which she says was being used to spy on women.

The woman then noticed the drone was flying very close to female beach-goers and had a camera attached to it, according to her Reddit post. After the device hovered close to her and her mother, the woman said she located the men controlling it and approached them. She told them the device was “seriously creepy.” One responded, “It isn’t going to hurt you,” according to her Reddit post.

The men retrieved the device and packed it up. “Even so, I left,” the woman wrote on Reddit. “I am so mad that I was violated in that way — and the potentials for anyone else being violated that way.”

Although they raise privacy concerns, drones can be used for recreational purposes so long as operators follow certain regulations. The Federal Aviation Administration requires that unmanned aircraft fly below 400 feet, avoid airports, and remain in sight of the operator. The FAA bans their use for commercial purposes unless it grants an exception.